variants
or less commonly canvas
canvassed; canvassing
1
: to go through (a district) or go to (persons) in order to solicit orders or political support or to determine opinions or sentiments
canvass voters
canvassed the neighborhood to solicit magazine subscriptions
2
3
obsolete
: to toss in a canvas sheet in sport or punishment
: to seek orders or votes : solicit
was canvassing for a seat in Congress
canvasser
noun
or less commonly canvaser
variants
or less commonly canvas
: the act or an instance of canvassing
especially
: a personal solicitation of votes or survey of public opinion
a house-to-house canvass to ascertain the vote before the election
Examples of canvass in a Sentence
Verb
A team of volunteers is canvassing the city for the Republican Party.
We go to every house to canvass voters.
She is canvassing for one of the presidential candidates this year.
The group has been canvassing neighborhoods to ask people to vote for him.
The company canvassed several sites for a new factory.
Recent Examples on the Web
Naperville Sun, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2025
Musk had previously canvassed potential investors for an xAI funding round at a valuation of about $75 billion, Bloomberg News reported in February.
—Bloomberg, Oc Register, 28 Mar. 2025
Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Oc Register, 26 Mar. 2025
The decline comes as Democrats’ ideological wings fight over the best tactics to counter Trump, which, combined with raw political ambition, makes the emerging Democratic 2028 field a wide-open electoral canvass.
—David Mark, The Washington Examiner, 28 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for canvass
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Verb
Election results will remain unofficial until mail-in ballots postmarked for Election Day or earlier are counted, provisional ballots are checked and votes are canvassed.
—Naperville Sun, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2025
Musk had previously canvassed potential investors for an xAI funding round at a valuation of about $75 billion, Bloomberg News reported in February.
—Bloomberg, Oc Register, 28 Mar. 2025
Noun
While early voting and mail-in ballots received before Election Day are processed and posted on election night, vote-by-mail ballots postmarked by Election Day, along with provisional ballots, are counted during the official canvass period within 30 days after the election.
—Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Oc Register, 26 Mar. 2025
The decline comes as Democrats’ ideological wings fight over the best tactics to counter Trump, which, combined with raw political ambition, makes the emerging Democratic 2028 field a wide-open electoral canvass.
—David Mark, The Washington Examiner, 28 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for canvass
Cite this Entry
“Canvass.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/canvass. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
canvass
1 of 2 verb
can·vass
ˈkan-vəs 
: to go through (a district) or go to (people) to ask for votes, contributions, or orders or to determine public opinion
canvasser
noun
canvass
2 of 2 noun
: an act of canvassing
Legal Definition
canvass
verb
can·vass
variants
also canvas
canvassed also canvased; canvassing also canvasing
1
a
: to examine in detail
specifically
: to examine (votes) officially for authenticity
b
: to make the subject of discussion or debate
2
: to go through (a district) or go to (persons) in order to solicit orders or political support or to determine opinions or sentiments
: to seek or solicit orders or votes
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